Netbooks are still key products despite claims that the Apple iPad and the rest of the tablet space are eating into sales. Intel recently launched the first dual-core version of its Atom processor for the mobile space.
Standing out from the latest batch of dual-core netbooks is the Samsung NF310-A01. It comes with a great user experience, a high-resolution screen, and more than seven hours of battery life. The $399 NF310 is a dual-core Atom 10-inch Netbook that’s certainly well-built, but doesn’t rise far above the competition.
Samsung NF310 A01′s dark silver lid is dubbed “Titan Silver,” which is basically a spruced up marketing lingo to describe its reflective plastic. The laptop’s glossy plastic lid is a magnet for fingerprints and smudges.
The look is a matter of taste, but we also discovered a practical use for both of the raised edges on the left and right sides of the keyboard. When lifting or holding the device, we automatically grab it with the thumb over the swung edge. This provides a perfect holding area, without pressing any buttons.
The high resolution WXGA panel (Samsung 101AT03-801) plays an important role in the value for money relationship of the NF310. The 1366 x 768 pixels make working easier, since users have better oversight and have to scroll less.
The screen shots show notebookcheck.com in the classic WSVGA (1024 x 600) and in the HD Ready resolution of the NF310. High detail applications such as Word, Excel, or Outlook can now be used more effectively.
The NF310 appears with a relatively comfortable keyboard. The limitations lie in the nature of the small Netbook form factor. The keys have a sufficient travel, a firm end stop on the entire surface (does not give way), but unfortunately an unclear pressure point. The keys also have sufficient gaps between each other.
The usability is productive, with the only obstacle occasionally being the small right shift key. The for a Netbook typically small arrow keys (including page up/down keys), were thoughtfully merged into the palm resting area slightly. This prevents unintended pressing of the page keys.
The metallic shimmering Synaptics mouse replacement has a pleasant metallic feeling surface. The fingers glide quickly across the touchpad without slipping. Finger prints and smudges don’t stay behind on the lightly brushed surface.
The Synaptics touchpad has unmarked vertical and horizontal scroll bars. Due to it being a typical multi-touchpad, it is possible to zoom and scroll using two finger gestures. Those that do not require the fixed scroll bars, and would rather have more of the surface area available, can disable these using the Synaptics software.
Samsung NF310 A01′s feature set is standard fare. It has three USB ports, VGA, Ethernet, a webcam, and an SD slot. The NF310-A01 ships with a 250GB (5,400-rpm) hard drive, which is par for the course with the other netbooks. Most of these systems use a dual-core Atom processor.
The NF310-A01 ships with a 250GB (5,400-rpm) hard drive, which is par for the course with the other netbooks. Most of these systems use a dual-core Atom processor.
If you’re the type that surfs with multiple tabs, edits the occasional photo, or transcodes a video from time to time, a dual-core processor will deliver a smoother experience. The 1GB of DDR3 memory is stingy, but the memory panel is held by a single screw so upgrading it to 2GB yourself to is pretty easy.
Next to WLAN Draft-N (Broadcom) and Bluetooth 3.0+HDR, there is also a fast Ethernet controller in the case. The Bluetooth 3.0 supports the newest standard, with which a transfer rate of 24 Mbit/s can apparently be reached (high-speed channel).
The LAN controller is not state of the art though, since it cannot provide Gigabit-Ethernet (Marvell Yukon 88E8040). Integrated 3G would have been beneficial for the NF310, since combined with a high resolution, a matte display, and good battery life, all the requirements for a mobile work device would be granted.
The stereo speakers are located above the keyboard. The SRS Premium Sound (improvements, activatable) led to a constant changing of the volume with some songs (negative). Altogether the SRS sound makes for more balanced acoustics though. At least the sound is clear and undistorted at high volumes. Using external speakers we experienced noise free music with a strong output signal level (no measurements, only listening test).
Samsung speaks of 9.4 hours battery life according to BatteryMark. We do not use this benchmark, but an idle state battery life of 9.25 hours can confirm this claim. This idle state battery life using the lowest brightness setting with deactivated wireless modules is however not a real value in practice.
More relevant for day to day use is the WLAN test with a good 5.42 hours. This is exactly the battery life of a N455 single core Aspire One 533 (5.49 hours, 49 Wh). The N450 colleague reached six hours in an Asus Eee PC 1001P (48 Wh). It takes 2.32 hours to charge the battery, before the session can continue.
The best netbook is rarely picked because it’s the fastest. It’s the overall package and how aggressively it’s priced. The Toshiba NB305-N410 is still a great netbook, but the NF310-A01 ships with a dual-core Atom processor and high-resolution screen for the same price. And you get a great user experience and battery life in the same package. This netbook is hard to pass up.
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